Troll Tales II
"As it be known, de' Twin Empires fell. From de' time of de' Fall, de' life of every Troll changed. De' lives of some changed fa' de' better, an' some fa' de worse. Yet whether great or small changes, it be felt by us all, even ta' dis day. '' De' few who've studied de' history of de' Troll must surely know, that de' persistant sound throughout our lives be de' sound a' de' Drums a' War... In the turbulent time following the Fall, chaos reigned among the Troll. Some, seeking a safe haven had ventured toward the most likely place; The Bonespear Tribe's grounds. One of these Trolls to think they might find safety here, was a young Witch Doctor in training named Aki'relle. Aki'relle was a pretty thing, and she knew as much. That, however, didn't make her vain. Her heart was kind, but she knew that she must be strong if she were to survive this time. Trolls fighting and killing Trolls wantonly, forgetting all about the enemies of themselves. So she travelled toward where she had heard rumours say that the Bonespear Tribe held their ground under the rule of a mighty Troll. In her secret heart, she had almost surely known what she would find; Devastation, ruin...Death. Yet when she came to the right place, she still despaired. Hoping against hope, she had believed that the Bonespear would provide her with a safe haven. But what she found was much more than she could handle; What few remains of buildings there were, they were burned. In most cases, only the most forgiving mind could imagine that this place had had the chance of standing against the tide of chaos the Trolls faced. Aki'relle, who had maintained a staunch disposition on her way to the Bonespear Grounds finally snapped. For three days and three nights, she wallowed in her sorrow; If even the mighty Bonespear had succumbed to anarchy, what hope did her race hold for the ages? Three days, three nights passed. In this time, Aki'relle sought neither nourishment or sleep (though sleep did take her twice, by force of pure exhaustion). When she pulled herself out of her misery on the night of the first day, she knew what must be done. She must gather any Trolls she could find that were still willing to live a peaceful, sane, tribal life. As the thought of this emerged in her head, she was filled with hope once again. If she were to show compassion, to show that life as it used to be was still possible - for all- she might win through. At that moment, it dawned on Aki'relle that she was hearing the dying sounds of battle nearby...And had been hearing them for at least half an hour. Curiously, she made her way through the dense undergrowth of the jungle.... What she found were two large Beserker Trolls locked in combat. It was obvious to her that neither would win; Both lay panting, in each their own pool of blood. Grunting to herself, Aki'relle figured that if she were to join Trolls in a tribe once again, without the fear of them running amok again, she would need the help of someone with more brawn than herself. Such, for instance, as wielded by the two Beserkers in front of her. Each had more nicks and scrapes on his torso than Aki'relle cared to think about. One had a spear jammed through his lower abdomen, while the other was apparently pinned to the ground through his chest on another spear. Even though both were clearly close to dying, both kept trying to reach for another weapon to make sure the other died first with. Grunting to herself, Aki'relle soon realised what had to be done. Adressing the Beserkers at the same time, Aki'relle held out her staff, covered in strange voodoo runes (as well as several shrunken heads). "Stop that, both of you. If you will both listen to what I have to say...And give it a chance, perhaps...I will mend the wounds on both of you, and make sure that you will lead long, rich lives. But only if you agree to my terms...." ''Some say de’ two Berserkers rushed at Aki’relle at that point…An’ some say that dey both knelt at her knees, swearin’ fealty. De’ one point everyone agrees on is that eventually, dey both knelt ta’ her... Aki’relle smirked down at the two mighty Berserkers. Hope had shown itself to her, and it would seem that it wasn’t a fools’ hope. If I be ta’ tell yah’, however, how de’ rest of de’ Twelve Berserkers came ta’ serve under Aki’relle, I be keepin’ yah’ here all night..Because in some cases, jus’ de’ tale of a single one a’ dem be a whole story fa’ itself. When autumn showed herself that year, Aki’relle had her first village completed, with preparations for another one close by underway. Aki’relle let it be known that any Troll who loved his or her heritage, and was willing to serve under her to preserve their way of life would be allowed to enter her Tribe, and her village. Each of her Twelve Berserkers had become her trusted lieutenants, each tasked with a different area of specialisation. One of them oversaw the building of huts and villages, another made sure that they were all safe…And so on, and so forth. By the time winter arrived (which, though not as noticable in the Jungle as in other areas, was still harsher than summer or spring) the second village was growing in its own right. Winter came and passed, and still the Tribe grew. Aki’relle had known to gather Trolls who could do what needed doing; Whether it was hunting, creating clothes or communing with the spirits…Only one Troll under her Tribe’s care nursed traitorous thoughts. Her Berserker named Zim’ba’weh, who was in charge of finding refugees from the ashes of the Twin Empires thought to usurp her place, and run the Tribe as he saw fit. In the end, Zim’ba’weh’s treachery was found out before any real harm could come to pass, and he was turned out of the Tribe and village. Aki’relle had only just managed to keep her Tribe from slaughtering Zim’ba’weh when his plans were found out…Yet even the kind heart that she had didn’t see fit to let him get off as easy as dying. Instead, she let her heart grow cold for but a day, turning Zim’ba’weh out to let him fend for himself, always knowing that if he hadn’t planned to murder Aki’relle, he would have been safe, fed, and warm. In the years to come, Aki’relle’s Tribe were to face many other challenges. Victories, defeats and events without either. But that is a Tale for another night… Category:Stories